Ends
by Moon Prynces
Summary: (Spirit Tracks) Which ending did you pick? Warrior? Engineer? Link doesn't really know for sure what he wants, except for the simpler things – like friendship.


5-11-10

12:33am

Summary–(Spirit Tracks) Which ending did you pick? Warrior? Engineer? Link doesn't really know for sure what he wants, except for the simpler things – like friendship.

**Disclaimer–I do not own Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, which belongs to its respective owner(s) and is only being used in a fan-made, fictional story.**

WARNING: If you have not finished Spirit Tracks you might find some parts to be spoilers for the game. Some of the dialogue are the actual words of NPC's.

**xoxo**

**Title–Ends**

**By–Moon Prynces**

**xoxo**

"Oh, but one last thing before we go," she said suddenly, causing me to stop in my tracks and turn back. Zelda flew closer and looked down at me as she said, "Once we put all this ugliness behind us, we'll both resume our normal lives." There was a pause. "When that happens, what are you going to do? What will you become?" She waited expectantly for a moment.

But instead of giving an answer and choosing between the obvious options I just smiled and turned toward the Phantom that was waiting for us.

Zelda flew past me towards it but managed to glance back with uncertain eyes.

**xoxo**

"Link! There you are!" the old man said as he tottered up to me upon my entrance.

I nodded in greeting with a straight face.

"Well this is certainly a surprise! Come in, come in!" he ushered, though we already were inside. He smiled wide. "I know why you're here, so go on ahead."

I smiled quickly in thanks and began my trek to the familiar room.

It had been only a few weeks since the battle with Malladus, and Zelda was able to get back her body. I hadn't been able to see her since she returned back to her duties as Princess.

We exchanged letters so frequently though that Alfonzo and Niko had taken to double teaming me with questions and teasing. I could only falter their torture by faking confusion and utter ignorance.

I knocked on the door once before someone spoke.

"Come in!" she said distractedly.

I slowly pushed open the door and peered around to find her not looking at my entrance but still staring down in frustration at some papers. She tried to stifle a yawn.

I grinned to myself as an idea formed. Quickly I shouted, "Zelda! Malladus has come back! Hurry!"

In no time the princess was on her feet with wide eyes, hands clutched together at her chest.

"Link! What're you–" she breathed. "Malladus? Are you sure?"

I nodded with a grave expression and motioned for her to come.

"Oh no," she moaned running around her desk and nearly tripping over her chair. "What do we do? Anjean is– All the Lokomos!"

I grabbed her hand as she reached toward me with it and hurriedly led us out into the courtyard, sneaking past the guards. I made a note to look into such poor security later on.

"Link! Tell me what happened!"

I shook my head without looking back. She skipped along, trying to keep up with my longer and faster legs.

"Should no one else know of this?" she whispered through her jagged breaths. "Can we prevent it?" Then she groaned again.

I stopped us before we made it to the center of Castle Town and we ducked our way behind corners and in shadows, trying to get to the station unnoticed.

I could feel her hands get hot and sweaty as well her as breath coming out in pants at the exertion. We boarded the train quickly, and to be honest it felt pretty odd.

For one thing Zelda was...well, she now had her body. Instead of being able to float around and talk to me she had to comply with gravity like everyone else.

Another was that, well I hadn't anticipated how we would both fit in the front of the train while I steered us. It was more cramped than I was used to but I think Zelda believed the uncomfortable vibes were because of our supposed plight.

She didn't say anything else as I set off towards an unknown destination. I glanced at her a few times to see her clutching onto the train and shaking.

It made me feel bad for going to such lengths but there was nothing to be done now. If I revealed myself she might just chuck me out of the moving train!

Slowly I followed the familiar path. I felt her look at me.

"Hey Link...where are we..." she trailed off as we exited a tunnel. "Rabbitland Rescue? Link, I hope this is just some sight-seeing as we head to our real destination."

I didn't react as the train coasted to a stop right at the station.

Zelda turned to me with murderous eyes. "Link!" she tried to scold. "What is going on?" she asked, er, demanded.

I hopped off the train and turned to her, motioning for her to come with me with an outstretched hand.

She stubbornly folded her arms and looked away.

"Zelda..." I said with a sigh, not retracting my offered hand. "There is only one way back and you don't know how to operate a train." I smirked in my musings. "I'm sure even you as a princess would still get thrown in jail."

"Blasted Engineer Certificate," I heard her mutter. "I think it could be overlooked once I tell everyone how I was kidnapped!" she argued, shooting me a glare.

"I didn't kidnap you," I said back instantly.

Her arms finally unfolded, but only so she could motion with them in an attempt to unleash her fury. "You lied to me! You said that the Evil Demon King Malla–"

"Shh!" I sprung forward and clapped a hand over her mouth before looking over my shoulder.

"Why hello there!" someone said. "Oh! It's you!" the Rabbitland Rescue founder said as he recognized me. "Come to play with all those bunnies you snagged?"

His wife also walked up to stand next to him. "Welcome to the Rabbitland Rescue, friend! Aren't bunnies just the absolute cutest?" she said happily.

I nodded with a smile and slowly removed my hand from Zelda. As I moved aside they saw I wasn't alone.

"Oh, you have a friend with you!" he said cheerfully. Suddenly his wife elbowed him and gave a brief look. "I mean, it is a _lady_ friend."

I made a strange face, hiding the embarrassment. As if having to deal with this from Alfonzo and Niko, people I already knew well, wasn't enough. Now strangers were inferring things!

"We're here for a visit," I said.

The two before us looked shocked a second and I realized it was because I rarely spoke. But they didn't need to make those faces.

"We'll just leave you two alone then," the woman said with a nod.

I reached blindly behind me and grabbed Zelda's hand again. As we walked past the wife and husband pair I heard Zelda giggle. I glanced back.

"They must think this is my first time here," she whispered. "It's just a little funny."

I nodded and led the way to some obscure spot under some trees as bunnies hopped around all over the place. I sat down and watched as Zelda did the same, no longer looking angry. Instead she looked too thoughtful for her own good and I was just about to ask why when she spoke.

With a curled finger lightly touching her bottom lip she said, "Now that I think about it...all those people we met...only ever met you! It's so strange that they'll never know I was there the whole time!" she laughed again. "Feels sorta like I've been eavesdropping or something."

I laughed along with her for a moment. It died down pretty quick and I leaned back against the tree with my hands behind my head.

We both stared around at the calm scene with furry creatures.

Then I heard her sigh and turned to see what was wrong.

"Link...you didn't need to do this. And you didn't need to lie to get me out of the castle," she said, looking at me seriously. Then it turned to awe for a few seconds. "It really has been a while since I've seen you, hasn't it?"

I shrugged, but then pulled out a letter. Her eyes widened.

"You pretty much gave me this plan yourself," I said with a slow grin. "Told me how you felt so overworked you'd rather be kidnapped by thieves and forced to sleep on a straw bed doing absolutely _nothing_ for a week."

I watched as her normally pale face turned slightly pink. "This isn't what I meant! I was over-exaggerating! I was probably too tired to think when I wrote that." And she tried to snatch the paper from me but I moved and tucked it away before she could.

A white bunny hopped up to us and stared curiously, preventing the princess from lunging for my neck. I was never so grateful.

"Your Teacher didn't seem to mind. He waved when we were leaving, in fact," I spoke up.

She looked shocked for a moment. "Teacher?" She quietly thought this over. "Then...I guess you _both_ are insane."

I laughed at her stern look and once again she started staring at me.

"How are things with you, Link?" she questioned eagerly. "I know in exchanging letters we talked about these things already but...it is different when I hear it from you in person."

I pondered things a moment but I couldn't quite understand what she meant. Maybe when we wrote each other there were more pleasantries than necessary, or maybe we didn't say things we really wanted to, but I had always been very honest and open. And every time I read her letters, I could usually hear her voice and see her face as if she were saying the words to me right then.

I smiled abruptly. "I missed you too, Zelda."

She turned a bit pink again and looked down. "This dress isn't exactly made for sitting around in the grass lazily," she commented.

"You're right. It's much more suited to be sitting around in a chair reading document after document," I said sarcastically, something I'm not usually prone to. Then I shrugged. "Sorry I never answered that letter by the way – I know it's been a week. But I was just wandering around and thinking a lot lately."

She stopped trying to pick the grass off her dress and looked at me. "Thinking a lot about what exactly?"

I leaned forward and placed my hands on the grass. "Remember what you asked me before we got out to defeat Malladus?"

Zelda looked skeptical at her memory, trying to recall what I was talking about. "I'm not sure I..." But as she mumbled those words to buy time recognition hit her.

I smiled, albeit a little sadly. "You were right though. We were able to resume our normal lives after everything, but while you knew what you would go back to...I wasn't all that sure."

"Oh Link, I'm sorr–"

"Don't get me wrong. Actually, being a warrior was kind of...fun," I grinned. "There's something really satisfying about protecting and saving." I paused. "It makes me happy."

Zelda smiled hesitantly. "So you would leave behind being an engineer?"

I sighed and hunched down a bit. "That's the thing. I love being an engineer as well. And I could never just part with the Spirit Train that Anjean gave us to use."

She looked down in thought as well, both of us wondering what would happen to me.

"But Link, and I know it doesn't make sense to say time is running out...you do need to decide sometime. A warrior or an engineer?" she questioned, looking back at me.

"Are those my only two options?" I joked, making her flush in embarrassment.

"Well I don't mean to rush you or anything," she said quickly. "You are still young and all, and there's a lot you can do...I think."

I laughed even more. "Zelda, after all we've been through and you're still acting like I'm some sort of stranger to you," I said.

She glared briefly. "Well maybe if you spoke up more often I wouldn't be so unsure about you."

"Well I may still be a little unsure about that," I spoke, getting back to the topic. "But why don't we start with the things I am sure of. A warrior? An engineer? Hm..." I looked up at her. "Why don't we start with me wanting to be...your friend," I smiled at her.

The princess stared at me blankly. Slowly she exhibited that trait I just learned about: changing color. "I thought we already were..." she said unsurely. "But I guess it's nice to hear it said out loud anyway."

We shared a smile before a bunny came barreling into her leg, causing her to jump and yelp in surprise.

While I laughed she shot me a look, and then picked up the bunny gently.

"I don't think a friend is supposed to laugh at my misfortune," she grumbled, petting and cooing at the creature.

"I'm pretty sure a good friend would.," I replied cheerfully.

She sighed while petting the animal. "At least you decided on something." Then raised the bunny up to eye level with her. "Something that makes us both happy," she mumbled under her breath.

I smiled down into my lap and pretended I didn't hear her.

Zelda put the bunny back down and it soon hopped off again. I looked up as the sky began to change colors as the evening approached – a day just like this a few weeks ago coming to mind.

Unconsciously, and without looking away from the vast sky, my hand moved slightly and reached out. I was surprised for a second, and even glanced down, to see the same gloved hand in my own once again.

I smiled as I stared up and wondered what Anjean, the Lokomos and Byrne were saying about us right now. Maybe the same things I kept hearing from Niko and Alfonzo.

**xo end xo**

**Um...**well in trying to make sure it wasn't too short I think it became unnecessarily long. I tried.

Why am I so interested in writing for LOZ: Spirit Tracks? Because Zelda is a character we really get to experience. Her interaction with Link isn't a 'what if' in this one; she's really there all the way through.

Also I keep having wandering thoughts at random parts. When I learned there were different endings based on that scene that I wrote out in the beginning (where Zelda questions Link about what he will do when it's all over) I was amazed. Link had a choice for once? What would he want? What would _I_ want him to want?

I read something earlier about a lot of fans of LOZ wanting Link to find his voice and actually speak in game. I vehemently disagree, but the reasons are too much to get into. What do you think?

5-12-10

2:37am


End file.
